Safer walks plotted for city's seniors

Two dozen neighborhoods where senior citizens on foot have been killed or seriously injured by cars will be getting safety upgrades, officials told the Daily News.

This year, five neighborhoods will benefit from the program, which includes longer red lights for cars to give pedestrians more time to cross the street.

Advertisement

An additional 20 neighborhoods will be evaluated, starting next year, to determine what changes should be made, Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said.

"The number of pedestrian fatalities is the lowest in a century, and we are working hard to make the streets even safer," Sadik-Khan said.

"This is the largest program of its kind ever undertaken in the nation, and it's appropriate that it targets our most vulnerable New Yorkers."

The total of 138 pedestrians killed last year was a historic low for the city, but seniors were disproportionately affected. Even though they make up just 12% of the population, seniors were victims in a third of the accidents.

"We could use a little more time here," agreed retired beautician Dolores Orza, 66, using a walker to shuffle across Main St. in Flushing, Queens, one day last week.

"I always figure I'm going to get hit."

Seniors are at greater risk because "they move little slower, and when a senior pedestrian is involved a collision with a vehicle, their injuries are typically more severe because their recuperative powers are a little less," said Mike Primeggia, deputy transportation commissioner.

The zones that will be targeted this year are the lower East Side, Fordham/University Heights in the Bronx, Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, Flushing/Murray Hill in Queens and the New Dorp area on Staten Island, with a focus on Hylan Blvd.

Neighborhoods to follow include Chinatown, Washington Heights, Mott Haven in the Bronx and Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.